Final Cut Pro: How To Adjust Parameters in the Motion Tab

The motion parameters are located in the Motion tab. To view
the Motion tab, the Viewer must be open. The default motion parameters
for a clip are 0 for the center and anchor point, 100 for the scale, 0
for the rotation, crop, aspect ratio, drop shadow and motion blur, and
100 for the opacity. This guideline will go over how to view and adjust
motion parameters and the purpose of the basic motion parameters.

Viewing and Adjusting Motion Parameters

To view motion parameters, all you have to do is have a clip open in
the Viewer and click on the Motion tab. The basic motion parameters,
which are scale, rotation, center and anchor point are displayed at the
top of the Motion tab. Below the basic motion parameters, you will see
crop, distort, opacity, drop shadow and motion blur.

You can adjust motion parameters by doing one of three things. Your
first option is to move the slider that is located next to the motion
parameter that you wish to adjust. Your second option is to enter a
number into the numeric field that is located next to the motion
parameter that you wish to adjust. If you are using the numeric field,
you must press the Return key to save the new number. Your last option
is to drag the overlay that is located in the keyframe graph. If the
motion parameter that you wish to adjust has an Angle control, you must
drag the hand of the dial to adjust that parameter. If the motion
parameter that you wish to adjust has X and Y coordinates, you will need
to enter new coordinates in the numeric field that is located to the
right of the motion parameter.

Basic Motion Parameters

As previously mentioned, the basic motion parameters are the scale,
rotation, center and anchor point. The scale changes the overall size of
the clip. The rotation will rotate a clip around its center axis. The
center specifies which frame is the center of the clip. The anchor point
is a point that is used to center a clip's position and rotation.

Crop Motion Parameters

When you click on the crop drop down menu, you will see a field for
left, right, top, bottom and edge feather. By using the left, right, top
and bottom fields, you will be able to crop the left, right, top or
bottom of the clip you are viewing. The numbers that are displayed in
the numeric field next to these values are pixels. The purpose of the
edge feather is to soften the edges of the clip so that the edges blend
into the background.

Distort Motion Parameters

The distort motion parameters, which are upper left, upper right,
lower left and lower right, allow you to change the shape of that
specific part of the clip. The aspect ratio motion parameter is also
located in the distort field. The aspect ratio allows you to change the
ratio of the clips width to height.